Calling all clownfish buffs

[Zero-2-Sixty]

Ive decided to help my mom (a teacher) set up a tank in her class room. It is going in a high school science classroom so its basically designed to be a neet little distraction for the poor freshmen.

 

It needs to be small, utilitarian, but still cool.

 

My plan:

10 gallon glass tank

Aquaclear 70 h.o.b. filter/fuge mod

2 18watt power compacts (actinic/10,000k?)

50 watt heater

 

and maybe:

Fission nano skimmer?

powerheads?

 

I know 10g is a little small, too small for an anemone (right?). so what are the chances of a clown hosting a frogspawn? ive seen it before, would they do it in that size tank? Ive heard interresting ways to get then to host, from chasing them with a net to taping a picture of a clown hosted anemone to the side of the tank.

 

please pick this thread appart, any and ALL information welcome!

[Fishfreak218]

hosting is fifty-fifty..... go with occelairs.... 2x18w isnt much light.. deffinatly not enough for an anemone IMO..

buy 2 small ones... one will become a female and one become a male...

[RayWhisperer]

2 18 watt PC's is pretty iffy for even LPS, and not nearly enough for an anemone. If the frog spawn is high up it should be alright. Just go with 50/50's

 

Hosting is a whole other game. From my experience, wilds will host much easier than any aquacultured. However, now we get into concientious(sp?) reef keeping. Aquacultured are better for the species in general. As for all those "tricks", just toss em out the window. If your clowns host, it'll be because they felt the urge, not anything you did. They may end up hosting right away, it may take weeks, months, it may never happen. It's just a crap shoot.

 

Fission skimmer is a waste of your money. Water changes will do just fine in a nano.

 

You'll need a powerhead or two... Maxijets are always popular.

[Xytrix01]

Fission skimmer is a waste of your money. Water changes will do just fine in a nano.

 

I second that! The fission is a POS!!! Don't even bother.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Hi,

 

I set up a tank in the children's section of our library with a pair of clowns. Very simple and it works beautifully. I have a 10 gallon with a glass top, HOB filter with carbon removed, and Orbit Compact Fluorescent lights

 

 

Expensive lights but worth the investment and you will be able to keep a wide variety of things (but not anemones) under them.

 

I have a huge crop of anthelia growing in my tank at home, and my clowns host in that. There are a wide variety of alternative clownfish hosts out there- such as mushroom leathers, frogspawn, etc.- I like the anthelia because if the clowns host in it, it doesn't irritate it or cause it to close up. However, if you have tank-raised clowns, you don't need an anemone/surrogate anemone (I know it's fun to show the kids the anemone/clownfish relationship, but anemones survive hundreds of years in the wild, and usually only a few months in a tank).

 

It is a great thing to set one of these up for kids- even when there was nothing in the library tank but LR and a couple of hermits the kids would stand there watching it forever, trying to spot all the "bugs". It's great of you to help your mom set up a tank like that.

 

Tasha

[travisurfer]

Sounds good as long as your mom doesnt mind Nemo comments

[mpineo]

I keep a sebea under 80watt PC orbit light for 2 years almost now. My anemone is tan and big; the tank is as deep as a regular 10 gallon. I believe that if you have good water quality and a relatively shallow tank (12") you can keep anemone with the 80watt PC orbit. However, anemone's are large animals that add a lot of pressure on your bioload. A 10 gallon w/o a sump or refug may be a bit small to keep one.

[pico1]

I know for a fact, those freshman will want to experiment and put foreign objects in the tank. Tank+immature kids with no respect for live animals=lots of problems. Just be aware that there will be those kids that like to bang on the glass, put a pencil or a penny in the tank ect., espically with them being that age and around all their friends.

[Jamie]

We had a sw horseshoe crab tank and people were always putting cr@p in it. Maybe you could have a lock one the lid so only you could get in.

[ReefApprentice]

Yah. I would consider putting an acrylic lid and in the middle of both sides put a little piece of acrylic and put one where it lines up on the top of the tank and put locks in for safety. If you had 80w of PC or even 60 I would say go for an anemone after a few months and things have stabalized. But you HAVE to get a clone because they are likely to do much better. I would also not risk it and get a true pair of perculas because you may have to get several and by that time not make it cost effective. I would recommend a minijet 606 and try to hide it behind the rock work and keep detritus suspended long enough to get sucked up by the filter. I am a freshman and most people wont respect corals. I would get a big anemone, 8lbs. of baserock and 3 of LR. Also have a 1inch sandbed. Get some mushrooms and zoas, but no need for LPS, SPS, or soft corals. Good luck.

AA

[Zero-2-Sixty]

Thank you for all your input

 

I got an eclipse corner 5 for free from a friend, so i set that one up. Im running the stock filter with the filter cartridge (w/ the carbon) and LR rubble where the biowheel goes. It has 6lbs of LR and a 2" sand bed.

 

Im using the coralife mini fixture (9 watt 10k, 9 watt actinic) and a rio 90gph powerhead. Im also using the theo 25 watt heater.

 

Its a really good looking tank, but my question is, is it too small, too dimly lit, or too anything for the frogspawn? the tank is really shallow, and i think the light is enuf.

 

Id like to have your opinions. (pics comming soon)

[RayWhisperer]

It's an eclipse 5.... Then 18 watts sould be ok for the frog spawn, kinda iffy, but I think it'll work.